There's no place like home

Published: Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 11:18 p.m.

There are plenty of sayings and cliches that deal with the thought of 'home.'

Home is where the heart is. There's no place like home. Charity begins at home. Who says you can't go home?

As a coach, it's always refreshing to be able to go home. It's also always puzzled me to see how coaches have to establish a new home to start their coaching careers, and home has to change.

West Davidson athletic director Charles Elmore and Thomasville A.D. Woody Huneycutt are set to retire as the school year ends. They are capping off careers that were spent entirely at their home school. And for both of these first-class gentlemen, the schools they worked at were the schools they graduated from.

Elmore is Mr. West Davidson. He has been in control there as athletic director for almost two decades; he never served as an overbearing, screaming bully. He has a quiet nature, and people respect him because he shows them respect.

Huneycutt is a similar fixture at Thomasville. He has a very similar demeanor; he doesn't have to rant and rave to make people do what they're supposed to do. Everyone knows the expectations, and they try their best to meet those expectations.

It will be weird to go to West or Thomasville this fall, and ask for guidance from someone other than these two.

Another athletic director who is closing the books on his long, impressive career is Central's Gene Poindexter. While he didn't graduate from Central, he has been there seemingly forever. His personality is nearly identical to that of Huneycutt and Elmore. He wants things done the right way, and his staff and students know what his expectations are.

Poindexter is an example of someone who established a new home. He became a Spartan, even though he didn't graduate from Central (he went to East Davidson). And once he settled in at Central, he never went anywhere else.

As a coach, it has to be difficult to guide a team other than your home school. But, sometimes it has to be that way. Can you imagine Matt Ridge, Brian Hege and Matt Jacobs all on staff at Ledford? All three of those Panthers' graduates are sensational basketball coaches, and they deserve their own programs.

But, I've been surprised that one of those three has never come home to Ledford. They went to the state title game when they played at Ledford, and I have to imagine it would have to be very tempting to come back where they enjoyed that magic and try to lead the Panthers back to prominence.

But, Hege is about as entrenched at Central Davidson as a coach can get. That is his new home; he doesn't want to be anywhere else. The same seems true for Jacobs at East Davidson, and Ridge has settled in for the long haul at Davidson County Community College.

Jacobs coaching at East is the oddest of them all; how can a coach go to work for his school's archrival? I always wondered that when I saw Jerry Walser coaching baseball at Central Davidson.

Walser got an opportunity to come home to West, and he jumped at it. You want to know how much it means to come home? Talk to Walser. He loves that green shirt he wears, loves West Davidson with a passion. For him, and for the lucky coaches that get the opportunity to experience it, home truly is where the heart is.

Jason Queen can reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.

<p>There are plenty of sayings and cliches that deal with the thought of 'home.'</p><p>Home is where the heart is. There's no place like home. Charity begins at home. Who says you can't go home?</p><p>As a coach, it's always refreshing to be able to go home. It's also always puzzled me to see how coaches have to establish a new home to start their coaching careers, and home has to change.</p><p>West Davidson athletic director Charles Elmore and Thomasville A.D. Woody Huneycutt are set to retire as the school year ends. They are capping off careers that were spent entirely at their home school. And for both of these first-class gentlemen, the schools they worked at were the schools they graduated from.</p><p>Elmore is Mr. West Davidson. He has been in control there as athletic director for almost two decades; he never served as an overbearing, screaming bully. He has a quiet nature, and people respect him because he shows them respect.</p><p>Huneycutt is a similar fixture at Thomasville. He has a very similar demeanor; he doesn't have to rant and rave to make people do what they're supposed to do. Everyone knows the expectations, and they try their best to meet those expectations.</p><p>It will be weird to go to West or Thomasville this fall, and ask for guidance from someone other than these two.</p><p>Another athletic director who is closing the books on his long, impressive career is Central's Gene Poindexter. While he didn't graduate from Central, he has been there seemingly forever. His personality is nearly identical to that of Huneycutt and Elmore. He wants things done the right way, and his staff and students know what his expectations are.</p><p>Poindexter is an example of someone who established a new home. He became a Spartan, even though he didn't graduate from Central (he went to East Davidson). And once he settled in at Central, he never went anywhere else. </p><p>As a coach, it has to be difficult to guide a team other than your home school. But, sometimes it has to be that way. Can you imagine Matt Ridge, Brian Hege and Matt Jacobs all on staff at Ledford? All three of those Panthers' graduates are sensational basketball coaches, and they deserve their own programs.</p><p>But, I've been surprised that one of those three has never come home to Ledford. They went to the state title game when they played at Ledford, and I have to imagine it would have to be very tempting to come back where they enjoyed that magic and try to lead the Panthers back to prominence.</p><p>But, Hege is about as entrenched at Central Davidson as a coach can get. That is his new home; he doesn't want to be anywhere else. The same seems true for Jacobs at East Davidson, and Ridge has settled in for the long haul at Davidson County Community College.</p><p>Jacobs coaching at East is the oddest of them all; how can a coach go to work for his school's archrival? I always wondered that when I saw Jerry Walser coaching baseball at Central Davidson.</p><p>Walser got an opportunity to come home to West, and he jumped at it. You want to know how much it means to come home? Talk to Walser. He loves that green shirt he wears, loves West Davidson with a passion. For him, and for the lucky coaches that get the opportunity to experience it, home truly is where the heart is.</p><p>Jason Queen can reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.</p>